This week’s blog is an answer to last week’s question… What will happen to the  big green rectangle and the rest of the quilt?

This is where things stood last week in a work-in-progress in my studio. I liked where the quilt was headed, but many decisions remained.

Here is PhotoShop mockup I created to help me get to the next stage.

From here, the underwater portion evolved.

This is just a quick cell phone snapshot showing what I had actually printed and painted at that point: I had added limbs to the big lime rectangle, I had added an inner white border and relief printed the outer edge.

The sketchy pencil images shown in this mockup (the orange sun, the suggestions of fish in the lower section) were not actually in the piece yet. I drew them roughly in PhotoShop and the mockup allowed me to see how it might look.

This week: time for fish.

I cut out some stencils from freezer paper, holding on to both the positive and negative pieces.

Here I’m moving around the fish positives like paper dolls. (An easy way to try out different positions and angles). When I got what I liked I lightly held them in place with masking tape.

Then I placed the outline (the negative image) of the fish over the paper doll fish and removed the positive pieces. I ironed down the freezer paper to make a clean edge and rolled on translucent paint.

If you are interested in using paint on fabric in your artwork, I can’t recommend enough the many uses of a simple foam roller. Using it just takes some practice. You can work dry or wet, cover big areas or – as in this case – keep it very controlled and light-light-light application of paint to maintain transparency.

Now to rip off the stencil and reveal the fish. Ta-daaa!

(Tip: It can be helpful to get rid of this outline soon after rolling while your image is still slightly wet. That way you can use a small paintbrush on the edges to fix any little areas that did not get a clean edge or where paint seeped under the paper stencil.)

Here is a section of the quilt where I have begun the stitching. I like the way that layer adds more dimension to the underwater scene and seems to push the fish a bit further into the background.

. . . . .

Showing this work tonight in my blog is a good opportunity to give a shout out to ARTBURST STUDIOS.

I participated in one of their on-line shows last fall, and I will be in their upcoming November show this year too. (This underwater piece and much of what I have going on the studio now is being made for that show.)

Don’t know about Artburst? Here’s a quick overview:

You can find them here: https://artburststudios.com/

Their next online show is August 15 – 17.

Artburst is an online gallery, featuring pop-up shows several times a year. They curate a small group of artists, all of whom create work just for that show. All are available for viewing and buying online. Good mix of styles and prices. It lasts just three days then it’s over.

When I first met the organizers of Artburst I was impressed by their niceness and their genuine interest in promoting artists.

If your interest is discovering new artists to love and if you like to shop for art, I hope you will take a look at the August show. I’m not in this one, but there are some interesting, talented artists displaying their work.

(Then when I start promoting the show I’ll be in this November, you’ll already be a pro at attending their shows.) Happy discovering!

. . . .

For all the artmakers: Happy creating
For all the art lovers: Happy appreciating

Thank you for reading. I always enjoy questions and comments.
--Bobbi

bobbi@bobbibaughstudio.com

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